"…it was the day after we went to see Clara's performance. When Gron and I overworked the next night, I saw Alison coming into the restaurant. He wanted to make sure that no one was following him."

After Fazbear Fright was consumed by waves of cathartic flames just like it deserved, Chris helped his father get out. They were in the middle of the night and didn't have to fear being detected, but even at a time like this, someone would notice an entire building burning to the ground. The two of them had to get far from it. Father was still getting used to properly walking, and Chris had to help him with it. His soul was possessing an endoskeleton stuck between his broken body and Spring Bonnie's carcass, while Chris was free of such constraints. When they got far enough, and the fire became nothing more than a distant sight, Chris helped William get on the nearby roof, bringing his metal body up. When they were there, they could finally have a brief respite, and Chris could get all the answers he wanted. He knew the truth from Gron already, yet Chris still wanted to hear his own dad say it.

"He…He entered a code on the wall, which opened a passage to an elevator. I told Gron about it, and he said we should just ignore it, but I was too curious…" He admitted that this was nothing more than a product of his morbid curiosity, curiosity for which their entire family was doomed to a cycle of death and suffering. "We entered it and descended…"

"To a facility?" Chris finished for him. "A spooky, underground place where he killed people?"

"You know, don't you?" William raised his mechanical eyes.

"I know a lot now…Honestly, everything just became so clearer now."

"Then you know that Gron and I escaped, but before we could do anything, Alison forced his own ultimatum upon us, a 'contract,' as he would call it."

"You didn't try to talk to the police?"

"So many of them were corrupt, at least Alison made it seem so…Though I tried to gather undeniable evidence to show when Alison found it, his agents broke in," Chris remembered that day too, the day he, Mike, and Elizabeth were all afraid, not realizing what was going on, yet they understood that their father must have known something about this…But those feelings of suspicion were completely overtaken by the sorrow of their mother's death. "This was the same day your mother died…"

"I know that, too," Chris said coldly. Her death was on her father's as well. "Is it true that you killed children for Alison? That you created those animatronics with claws I took for myself?" He said in despair, knowing that the answer was nothing relieving, not to him, not to father, yet he still wanted to hear it. He deserved to hear it.

"Yes, I did. I created the funtimes to capture children that I would lure to them…Alison wanted them for his experiments and said younger souls are more resilient." Chris knew this far better than his father could imagine.

"So you killed her. You killed Lily…" Chris's voice grew harsher, causing William to look away in shame.

"I did. I'm sorry."

"I don't care about sorries. You killed her and gave her away to that evil man…And when I told you that I saw it, you lied!"

"It pained me to do this, and I understand if you don't want to forgive," William said quietly. "But I did this for you. If any of you knew the truth, Alison would hunt you down."

"We could've never told anyone."

"You were children…Children often say things that give away a lot on complete accident. Even if you wouldn't, your behavior would suggest something to Alison and his agents…I simply couldn't take that risk. I had to protect you."

"Protect me?" Chris felt his soul aching. "You made me look insane before Mike…You made me feel insane, made me think like all of this was just another nightmare! You didn't stop Mike from hurting me! Do you think that this is what I wanted?"

"I have failed you, Chris…If there was a chance of going back in time and saving you from Fredbear's jaws, I would do it no matter the cost." He said in a pained voice, yet Chris was not in the mood to forgive, not after all he went through.

"You didn't just fail me, dad…You hurt me. Do you realize I woke up eventually? In Fredbear…"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't have known…Every single possession I saw at that point was from those who died near or inside the animatronics; you died in a hospital."

"Alison was surprised, too."

"He knew?"

"Not straight away, but he found out one day. He hid it from you, and you never suspected anything until it was too late…"

"Chris, I…" William reached out, but Ennard didn't wish to listen to him anymore.

"He and his scientists hurt me, shocked me with their electrical toys, and they enjoyed it, too. They loved having the son of William Afton to experiment on while his father continued to work for them. I met Lily once, and she must still be there. I couldn't talk, couldn't do anything. It was always so dark and lonely…You know how people say that death is just like sleep? This was death without sleep."

"I'm sorry, Chris…"

"Stop, Dad." He undercut him once again. "I don't care; you can't fix this. I understand why you did, and I…I hope you understand me, too."

"How did you escape, then?"

"I got very lucky and tricked some of those 'engineers.' When they brought funtimes down, they connected them to this big green thing that could take up souls. I gave all I had to it, and it gave a piece of my soul to each of the funtimes. They didn't realize what was going on and just moved them to your bunker. I waited for you to come down and call for help, but it wasn't you."

"Mike…" Dad said in a trembling voice.

"You know?"

"He stole a keycard from my deck on that day, Elizabeth told me eventually…When I came down there, I saw the organs and insides of a person twisted and tossed around. I didn't know it was Mike until later, but…Did you do it?"

"Of course," Chris said confidently, feeling the fear that emerged in William's soul. "I tricked him into putting all funtimes into the scooping room, where I made them break each other to restore my soul again. Then, I created this. Did they call it Ennard? What a strange name."

"You killed your own brother," William said in a shocked, pained voice. The realization finally came to him. He stood up in horror and looked at Ennard.

"He killed me first; I just made us even…" Chris said with a slightly shaky voice. He still stood by what he did, yet pretending that he enjoyed it in any way was pointless.

"He was my son, just like you! He was traumatized by what he did. He wept for days about this; he prayed for you and wanted to undo everything! He deserved punishment, but he didn't deserve to die!" William spoke up. Chris could swear he was about to see his father fall to his knees due to agony.

"Don't you dare judge me, Dad!" Chris raised his tone. "It's because of him that I became like this, had to suffer so much! I needed his skin as cover; I replaced his bones and organs with Ennard and crawled out of the vent. Then, I decided to go after his friends, and they killed me as well. Blake, Jim, and Lamar…"

"And so you traced them to the pizzeria." William continued. "You killed Lamar but not the other two, and it seemed like you couldn't. Why?"

"Mike stopped me."

"What?"

"His soul was inside Ennard, too, and he resisted, tried to take control…I had to run. And before you ask, his soul isn't here anymore."

"Where is he now? I have to know!"

"I'll explain it. We tried to fight and take control of each other until this body had no more power left at all…Then Lockjaw found us."

"Gron?" William's shocked and disbelieving response didn't take long. "He found you?"

"Yes, and he told us all he knew."

"I see…"

"He also told us about his plan to infiltrate Fazbear Inc and destroy it from inside."

"No…I knew of this. It was supposed to be Alison's trap!" William said in a quivering voice of disbelief. "I didn't know about you; it was for Lockjaw and Lynda!"

"Mike agreed to help them with it, I…" Chris tried to hold back his shame. He could've tried to help Lily like he promised, but his fear got the better of him. "I decided to go my own way and separate; Lockjaw took Mike's soul, and considering that no one ever heard of them again…"

"Alison must have them imprisoned. The bastard!" William hit the nearby edge of the roof. "He held my son there for twelve goddamn years, and I…I didn't even know!"

"I wanted to tell you I followed you all the way to New Harmony."

"I remember…You helped me against the animatronics."

"Yes, and I wanted to find you again, but you decided to return."

"I tried to escape the souls and made a very stupid decision…"

"Doesn't matter now, I still found you. You and Blake…"

"Are you saying that the night guard was one of Mike's friends?"

"Yes, I recognized him. The aura is the same…" Chris spoke slowly with spite and hatred. "He got what he deserved, and it felt good. Now there's only 1 left, Jim…"

"He…Is here." Father said, immediately making Chris turn towards him. Once again, the boy felt joyous and invigorated. His revenge was almost complete, and he would stop at nothing to kill the last man who stole his life away.

"What?"

"I saw him talk to Blake when I still rested in my suit, flashes of reality in my dreams…They found me together, and Jim came here for his friend, to push him away from Fazbear Inc."

"Oh, so he is the smarter one? Maybe he'll even be a challenge. If he's in this small town, it will be very easy to find him. And when I do…I will make him cry."

"What's the point? It's been twelve years, and he clearly changed a lot in this time…I don't know him well, but it seems he turned to God." William explained. "I wouldn't be surprised if it was out of the guilt he felt over what he did to you."

"I said not to judge me, dad…"

"I'm not judging you. I'm telling you not to follow the path I got forced on! I know it's hard to let go…I never truly forgave Mike for this, but even after all of this, I still love him. He did not deserve to die, neither does this man."

"And do you love me too, Dad?" Ennard looked up at Springtrap.

"I…Yes, of course, I do."

"Even after I killed him?"

"Yes…"

"He was scared, you know? He begged for mercy, he promised he would help, and I think he was honest. I didn't listen. I made it quick, but it must've still hurt…" Chris said in a melancholy voice. "If you couldn't stop either of us from dying and don't support me avenging my death…Do you truly love us?"

William was petrified at those words for a moment, eventually forcing himself to take a step back. He must have seen the rage in Ennard's eyes. The animatronic leaped forward and plunged his metal claws into the Spring Bonnie suit, forcing William to the edge. They both fell to the ground amidst one of the dark alleyways. It happened too quickly for Will to resist, and soon Chris had him pinned down.

"I will do whatever I want! I have killed three people already. I became a murderer for it! I will not stop now just because you want me to! You made me suffer, you lied, YOU KILLED LILY! So don't even try, understand? Don't try it! You're a murderer, dad…Far worse than me and Mike." He finally let go. "I am going to hell anyway…We all are. It's too late to stop, and I will finish it. Bye, dad…Do what you want. Just don't try to stop me." Ennard stood up and began to walk away. His father was a monster who ended up hurting him far more than anyone else, but he couldn't force himself to punish him any further. He had reasons…And he was dead already. At least it all became clear to Chris now. He knew why this nightmare started and why it had to go on and on…

"I prefer to think that it's never too late to stop." He heard Dad's faint voice from behind. "That when our time comes, and we are brought before God, he will judge our every deed and action fairly…It's all in our hands."

"You also preferred to think that all that you did was to protect us…And look where we are now."

…

The person Charlie expected to emerge on the crime scene was Owens himself. The commissioner usually stuck to his duty in the department and rarely ever did the dirty work himself. This time was different, however, for he led the squad that came to their rescue himself, and he was far from pleased. The commissioner was clear and cold with his words, saying that Charlie and Elizabeth would have to come to the department with him. There was no point in resisting.

On their way to the police department, Charlie couldn't help but think about the beast that almost killed them. This mortifying, unyielding creature tore everything in its path without a second thought. As strong as it was agile, they walked right into its domain without a single chance of survival, and the beast took this opportunity. Now Charlie knew where the crimson glow came from. It was from the creature's mechanical eyes, which, along with his overall appearance, confirmed a theory that seemed wild only a few hours ago. It was an animatronic. A different, enhanced one, but still an animatronic, which meant that Alison was responsible for the Stalker, without a shadow of a doubt, as well as all the disappearances. Hano Akira was right to point Charlie toward this investigation; perhaps he should've paid his words even more attention.

By the time they were in the department, Charlie and Elizabeth had no other choice but to wait outside the commissioner's office; Owens wanted to have a talk with Charlie. At least he had time to prepare. Many thoughts rushed through the detective's mind; terror got converted into rage. Rage towards this murderous monster and those that created it. The fact that after so many years, Alison was still able to run his business disgusted Charlie. It was hard, but at least he could hold himself together. The same couldn't be said for Elizabeth.

Seeing the Stalker up close made her enter a state of shock and terror from which she couldn't recover yet. As they sat by Owens's door, she still gazed at the floor and avoided eye contact with everyone, occasionally shivering and sobbing quietly. She didn't speak much after the encounter, but every time she tried to, her words became a jumbled mess.

"I…He…Stal…Ker…" She broke down into tears and violent shaking once again before beginning to hyperventilate.

"Hey…" Charlie put his arm over her shoulders and gently pulled her towards himself. He wasn't good at soothing others, but he did it in the best way he could: "I'm with you, don't be afraid…It's safe here."

As he felt Elizabeth relaxing slightly, his eyes caught a familiar face. Cody rushed towards them from the nearby.

"Oh, god, here you are!" He walked towards Charlie and sat beside him. "Sorry, I couldn't warn you. Owens and his team intercepted some of our communications; guess that bar brawl left him suspicious…"

"It's fine. I knew it would happen sooner or later. At least I can ask him something I've been meaning to over the last few days."

"Be careful with him."

"Or what?"

"You might get replaced, you know." He wasn't wrong, but something told Charles that if Owens made a decision, no slight behavioral changes from him would change it. Just as he was about to send his train of thoughts in that direction, the door to the cabinet opened, and a disgruntled man emerged. As he looked over the trio before them, he let out a prolonged sigh of disappointment.

"Some people just don't listen to warnings…" He came over towards them and looked at Elizabeth. "I'm sorry you had to see this, ma'am, but I need to know what it was exactly. Did you make out any features of the monster?"

"I…Stalker…Red…"

"Focus, this is important. Did you see the monster?"

"I…Tried not to look, I…" She shivered once again, making Charles intervene.

"Come on, Owens, you can do better than pressuring terrified women. Everything she saw, I did as well."

"Fine. Come in then; we have to discuss it in private." Owens made his way towards the door and invited Charlie to follow him.

"Cody, can you stay with Liz until I'm done?"

"Sure, of course."

"Thank you." Charlie sighed and passed by, finally entering the commissioner's office. "You have another scolding for me?"

"You sound awfully bitter," Owens noted. "If I were you, I would've started with a word of thanks; if not me and my men, you would be already dead."

"Thanks for saving our lives, truly…But you also monitored me and watched my every step, right?" Charlie crossed his arms.

"It was a necessity."

"Oh, really, now?"

"Seems like you don't understand the situation." Owens shook his head and moved back over to his desk. You risked dying to the monster's claws, and not only that, you actively endangered the life of a civilian!"

"Elizabeth can make her own choices; she volunteered to help."

"She just didn't know what she was getting into, and neither did you. So, have you seen the monster?"

"How do you even know there is one?" Charlie said with suspicion.

"Answer my question."

"It was definitely some kind of mechanical creature. Very vile and surprisingly smart, it toyed with us and its other victims before killing them."

"So it's as bad as we thought…"

"You knew," Charlie said after Owens confirmed his worst suspicions.

"I did…Though I tried to keep it from most others, and successfully so until you decided to get into it."

"But why? There is some freak running around the city and abducting people left and right, and you prefer the police not to know?!" Charlie felt rage stirring once again. Owens withheld the truth of purpose, which no doubt resulted in more deaths.

"Because sending anyone to investigate those disappearances and forcing them to cross this…Creature's path would be suicide." For the first time in his life, Charlie heard Owens's voice tremble. "Do you believe in paranormal things, detective Takaliken? I didn't before I saw this 'thing' on one of our recordings. Its strength and agility surpassed any limits of a human. Making someone, anyone, investigate this would be sending them to their death, and I know that many in our department would want to solve this case themselves."

"And that is a reason to turn a blind eye to the crimes it commits? You didn't have to force anyone; I would've taken the case voluntarily."

"Listen, Takaliken…You're a good young lad with a bright future, and I don't want it to be undercut by this stupid attempt. Some things are simply outside of our expertise, outside of what we can do. This is one of them…" His voice sounded faint and defeated, as if Owens already accepted the inevitable. To think that their commissioner would surrender to the Stalker without a fight…Charles expected more.

"Listen, it's not paranormal. I am sure there is some explanation. It was a robot and animatronic, which looked like an animal…Very twisted and gross version of one, but it still followed all the patterns of an animatronic! I have reason to believe that Fazbear Inc. and its owner, Alison Bairren, are behind all of this."

"Again, seriously? I know you have your own vendetta against him, but this is getting ridiculous!"

"Remember the bar brawl? The man I talked to was a worker in Fazbear Inc. once, as were his friends, one of whom the Stalker took." Charlie tried to explain, but all he was met with was Owens shaking his head with disapproval.

"Technology like this doesn't exist…I thought you were an expert on Fazbear Inc's animatronics. Even I know that the range of their movements is very basic, and in no way would be able to do something like that."

"But there was a case like this in the 80s already. Lockjaw."

"Lockjaw was just an urban legend. There is no concrete proof of his existence."

"Or maybe someone just hid it, like you're doing now."

"I'm getting tired of this argument, Takaliken; I'm sure we both have a job to attend to."

"Don't know about you, but I will investigate Stalker and Fazbear Inc, and I don't care if someone tries to stop me."

"I will not allow you to focus on an unsolvable case in my department!"

"Then I will continue outside of it." Charlie shrugged. "You don't realize how important it is to me…My parents disappeared without a trace while trying to solve this. I have to know what happened to them." Charlie looked down and clenched his teeth. Perhaps Owens truly thought he was doing it to protect himself and his other subordinates, but Charlie couldn't accept inaction. The commissioner looked at him with sadness and shame in his eyes.

"That explains a lot. I suppose if that's the case, my words are meaningless to you…"

"With all due respect, sir, I won't listen to them, not in this case."

"Then we are at an impasse. You will do what you want either way, and I will continue to keep this suicidal business out of this department…I'm sorry, Charles, but I have to demote you."

"What?!" He spoke up in shock.

"You'll be wasting all of your time on this trail rather than making a change somewhere we can actually make it. You're relieved of your duties, so now you're free to do whatever you want, and I'm not obliged to pay you for it. So hand over the badge, and we can be done with this."

"But…"

"No 'buts'. If you ever change your mind and are ready to finally let go, I will accept you back. But as for now…This is where we part."

Charles knew that there was no way around this; he had to give in this once. He took his badge off the uniform and placed it on the table.

"I will come back, chief. But only after I've found the truth."

"Then I wish you the best of luck."

It hurt to be denied like that, even though Charlie didn't want to admit it. He looked away and marched towards the door, holding back his anger. He had a lot to think about and plan his next move.

But first, he needed to take care of Elizabeth.